Blind baristas grind out great coffee

Blind baristas serve coffee at the first cafe employing blind people in Shanghai on Saturday. GAO ERQIANG/CHINA DAILY 

Wang Tian, one of the founders of Bear Paw Cafe, a cafe that went viral online in 2020 for its coffee being served by a bear claw poking out of a hole in the wall, with most staff hearing impaired, didn't expect the planned opening of his next store to be met with such fanfare.

Wang's latest offering again combines the employment of people with disabilities and serving up fresh brews.

Seed Shop, a new branch of Bear Paw in Pudong district's Times Square, is shaped like an acorn and its baristas include blind brothers Yin Tianbao and Yin Tianyou.

Even before the small cafe's opening, word spread online and interest quickly grew.

"We received many messages beforehand from organizations that care for the disabled and social welfare organizations. They said they would come to the grand opening to support the blind brothers. About 2,000 people were expected to attend the opening event," Wang said.

And so, he instead opted for a quieter soft opening for the brothers, fearing a crowd gathering would increase the risk as the city continues to struggle with COVID-19.

It has long been a dream of Wang's to empower people with disabilities, and after the success of Bear Claw Cafe, the keen entrepreneur set about his next endeavor, this time seeking to employ people with vision impairment.

Several challenges had to be faced by both Wang and his blind employees, that is, training the boys on how to make great cups of coffee and finding equipment that can be safely used by the visually impaired.

Yin Tianbao, born blind and in his early 20s, is the manager of the cafe. To get himself up to speed for the cafe's opening he practiced making over 100 cups of coffee every day.

"There is no other way but to practice over and over again," Yin Tianbao told China Daily.

"Training muscle memory is easier said than done," he said.

He recalled wanting to give up many times, but, having been given 10 percent of the business, he persevered.

It paid off, and he can now make a great cup of coffee in two minutes and has even mastered making latte. He inspired his twin brother Yin Tianyou to follow in his footsteps and become a barista too.

"Coffee-making has shown me that I need to be bold and be willing to try new things. Success comes from failure. If I can succeed in this, maybe I can succeed in many other things," Yin Tianbao said.